Parts of the United Kingdom are experiencing significant food and fuel shortages as hundreds of thousands of workers are compelled to self-isolate following notifications from the National Health Service’s (NHS) COVID-19 contact tracing app. In England and Wales, a record 618,903 people were ‘pinged’ by the app in the week ending July 14, up from 520,000 the previous week. Those contacted are expected to quarantine for ten days, leading to widespread staff shortages across multiple industries.
The hospitality, food, supermarket, and haulage sectors have been particularly hard-hit. Iceland, a supermarket chain, has been forced to close some stores due to staff shortages, while Sainsbury’s, the nation’s second-largest supermarket, reported supply impacts but assured customers they are “working hard to ensure customers can find what they need.”
Businesses across the UK are urgently seeking clarity on self-isolation rules when staff come into contact with individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19. The British Retail Consortium has advocated for workers and suppliers who have received both vaccinations to be exempt from the isolation requirements, emphasizing their continued work throughout the pandemic.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is currently self-isolating after exposure to the virus, initially announced that “critical workers” would be exempt from quarantine. However, he has since faced criticism over the lack of clear guidance. Plans to release a comprehensive list of exempt workers were abandoned in favor of a “case-by-case basis” approach, intensifying pressure on the government to resolve the growing confusion.
Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng acknowledged the concerns and stated that new guidance on exemptions for “specific sectors” is being developed and will be released imminently. He urged calm, saying, “I don’t think there’s any cause at all for the kind of alarmist, in some instances, panic, but I am very mindful of the fact that businesses and other people are very concerned. We shouldn’t try and create a false sense of alarm.”
The challenges posed by the ‘pingdemic’ are overshadowing the government’s recent decision to lift nearly all legal coronavirus restrictions on July 19, a move that many health experts warned could be premature. On Wednesday, over 44,000 new COVID-19 cases were reported, with nearly 335,000 cases in the past seven days—a 36 percent increase from the previous week. With restrictions eased, these numbers are expected to rise further.
While the forthcoming guidance may help alleviate some disruptions, workers who are not exempt but have been fully vaccinated will still be required to self-isolate when notified until at least August 16, according to Kwarteng.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
